The most common reason that a furnace trips a circuit breaker is that the blower is overworking.
Furnace circuit breaker code.
So the question here is whether or not it s allowable to use a lock at the circuit breaker for a furnace in lieu of a separate service switch by the furnace.
1 why does my furnace need electricity.
To get answers to electrical code.
A bad circuit breaker.
According to building codes a furnace must be supplied by a dedicated circuit meaning the circuit cannot supply power to anything other than the furnace.
Check with your municipality for local requirements and codes.
A bad furnace fan motor or component.
A failing receptacle can be replaced with an afci receptacle.
Furnace breaker trips.
Doing so will create afci protection for the entire circuit.
This is a job for a licensed electrician.
The furnace filter is clogged.
Furnace breakers most often occur for a few reasons.
There s a leak in your hvac ductwork.
Hvac air registers or vents are blocked.
Poor airflow through the furnace.
The furnace motor is having issues.
1 1 the blower motor in your furnace is powered with electricity.
This will create afci protection to only the receptacle being replaced.
A standard circuit breaker can be replaced with a special afci circuit breaker.
If this circuit is run entirely in conduit then there should be enough space for another 15a circuit hot neutral in there for the remaining loads allowing the furnace to be left alone on the existing circuit or vice versa with the furnace moved to the new circuit and the other loads left on the existing circuit.
A furnace that starts up but immediately trips the breaker can be caused by an electrical short circuit or ground fault inside of the furnace itself.
Short circuits in your furnace happen when a bare hot wire comes in contact with a neutral wire.
When your air filter is clogged with dirt your blower has to work extra hard to push air.
Any time that something is blocking airflow to your system your blower has to work harder to compensate.
Let s explore these reasons in detail and find out what you can do to fix a furnace breaker trip.
The most common culprit is a dirty air filter.
How afcis work a conventional circuit breaker isn t sensitive enough to detect electricity arcing through the air while the arc is.